USS Discovery
USS DISCOVERY Custeau Class - HALD explorer (HALD – Heavy Armed – Long Distance) The success of the HALD program primarily used in the Andromeda Galaxy has led to a slow but steady change in the mindset of the Science Council to considering to arm explorer ships.1 The HALD explorer program has lost much fewer ships while operating in potential hostile space and too far to call for help. The first HALD (Copernicus Class ) ships were 5000 meter giants with more fire power and armament than early Battle ships and usually explore in groups of 2-5 ships. In 5000 , the Science Council decided to call for further development of HALD Class ships and slowly replace all unarmed explorers. While the main focus is on the new 8500 meter Marco Polo Class and the expansion of the Copernicus Class program. It was deciced a smaller HALD was also desireable for science missions within the M-0 Galaxy . 2 United Industries Planning Bureau at Ross 128 basially took the Copernicus Class and simply scaled it down to a 1000 meter unit and added a Giga Load Translocator Cannon of the latest type (and with the added “lost invention ” of Dr.Isah ) with Matter Elevator technology. (able to transphase matter of up to 1000 Kilos from and to spatial coordinates). The Science Council applauded the simplicity and thus part and supply interchangeability in the best spirit of the Uni Design concept and ordered 5000 units of this new Custeau class. The USS Disovery left drydock in 5049 as the first of her class and was delivered to Venus where she was further outfitted for her role as a research unit to investigate space born life. In 5050 she was picked to be the ship investigating the Yoistal phenomenon and transferred to Belle Station. There she received her first Captain and her first crew.. She is the first ship to feature a Bellebee Crew member 4 USS Discovery. *Custeau Class - *Design and manufacture : United Industries – Ross 128 *HALD Design and concept : Licensed from SII *Additional lab and sensor equipment : Venus Life Science Equipment Inc. *Dimensions : 1004 m x 312 meters *Large seperateable engineering section with 3 extra sets of ISAH pods that can be replaced in space and without any external help. *Armament : Large selection of Non Lethal weaponry including the first P 61 – the largest, most advanced and powerful paralysator ever built. *1 x Translocator Cannon Kilo Load *1 x Translocator Cannon Giga Load + Matter Elevator enabled *1 x P61 – Paralysator *2 x Loki Torpedo launcher *2 x FTL FE Cannons 1 GW/ pulse *3 x ParaDim Shields 4 gw/ m2 Aux Craft: *1 x Dome Ship (seperatable Command section) *4 x Wolfcraft *2 x Gazelle *20 x Collector Class Bisons *8 x D 40 All envirionment shuttles *Acceleration: 600 km/sec *Range : 15,000 LY *Translight Speed : 19,000 x LS 1 The common consensus was that Explorer ships were not to be armed and avoid conflict all all cost. The lost of many thousands explorer ships and their crews over the centuries has shown that other civilizations not always accept or allow “peaceful exploration”. 2 While the Spinward and Downward sector are still very much unexplored (as of 5000) it is expected that with the completion of the Ubernet – (GalNet and GalCom Cover over the entire M-0 Galaxy) in 5060 Explorer ships can call for help no matter where they are in the M-0 Galaxy and that there are outposts and frontier bases within reach of a HALD almost everywhere.3 3 The Union Outpost Program started in 3202 expands into the Galax-Cover ( secretly known as the Union Dominance Program) . 4 This Bellebee was surgically size reduced , by removing much of its gas sac and placing his brain and neuro center into a prototype Bellebe Blimp Category:Spaceships